Bellua
by AlternateWords
Summary: They live unaware of a world that parallels their own, but when the Vargas brothers find themselves on an adventure that they never imagined with a cast of monstrous characters they never knew existed, they find that in the land of the werewolf, it pays to have monsters and magic on your side. Germany/Italy, Spain/Romano, USUK, France/Canada, Russia/China, etc.
1. Chapter 1

A yellowed, aging light hung suspended from the ceiling, weaving slightly from its anchor on the plaster above. It cast a dim light on the room below, illuminating the particles of dust that floated lazily in the air. A thin sheen blanketed the clutter below, only to be disturbed by the constant snuffling and irritated shuffling of papers at the large mahogany desk that dominated the room.

The figure at the desk sat stiffly, his elbows propped up on the wood, his head cradled in his hands. Before him were taunting piles of papers, bills and leases to be paid, orders to be filled, and checkbooks to be balanced. A sigh forced it way through his lips. His back caved in for only a moment, his head hanging heavily at the end his neck, leaving his disheveled hair to drape his eyes in shadow. Every muscle rebounded back then, tensing as he snapped himself up and away from the desk.

He snatched his blazer from where it hung on the back of the chair and tossed it over his shoulder, pointedly ignoring the papers taunting him, spotlighted underneath the single bulb hanging from the ceiling.

Narrowed eyes instead focused on the door, anticipating the welcome change from the murky, stuffy air that had been his home for the evening.

Outside was a welcome, if ploddingly familiar, change. The area before him smelled faintly of newly baked bread and garlic, of the fresh air that ruffled the long, translucent curtains on the far wall.

He took a deep breath, allowing his muscles to unwind. Life could be so peaceful.

"Lovino! You're done in the office for the day, ve?"

The exclamation made Lovino Vargas nearly jump out of his skin, seeing as the voice came from approximately two inches from his left ear. He whirled away, far enough to glare at the offending individual who had shattered his peace.

"Chigi, Feliciano! You were right in my ear, _idiota_! Idiot!" the flustered Italian sputtered, his face burning red. "Warn people before you do something stupid like that!"

For his part, Feliciano Vargas hardly wilted under his brothers' verbal punishment. "But," he twittered, blinking rapidly in confusion, "how am I supposed to warn you about me talking without talking?"

Lovino sputtered for another few moments, trying to grasp at the incredibly hard concept that was communicating with his brother without wanting to strangle him. "Did you at least finish cleaning the kitchen?"

"Yep!" his brother chirped happily, snapping the dishrag that had been previously tucked into his apron in the air for emphasis, sending tomato sauce to stain the counter beside Lovino. The other male had managed to jerk his arm out of the way of the wayward spatters before they ruined his shirt. Before he could chastise Feliciano for being careless as usual, the other Italian had already turned and bounded out of the kitchen.

Lovino followed his cheerful companion through the door that separated the kitchen area from the dining room. In the dining room, soft music played, mixing with the glowing candles and fading sunlight that lay across the abandoned tables. Across the room was the last of their staff. The man hummed cheerfully to himself as he wiped down the top of one of the tables. Upon their entrance, he looked up, breaking into a smile that rivaled the sparkle in his green eyes.

Despite the fact that Lovino made a point to ignore the unwanted attention, Feliciano immediately perked up and trapezed over to the dark-haired worker. Lovino reluctantly followed.

"Ve, Antonio," the hopeful Italian asked, "have you seen Ludwig? He promised he would stop by to say hello, but I really want to go get something to eat."

"There is plenty to eat here," Lovino grumbled from behind, glaring at the back of his siblings head in irritation.

Antonio tilted his head thoughtfully, gripping the wet rag in his hand and leaning against the table beside him. "Um," he hummed, "well, no, Feliciano, I don't think I've seen him just yet. I'm sorry." He smiled earnestly. "But I'm sure Ludwig will be here. From what I've seen of him, he isn't the type to break a promise."

"What do you know?" Lovino scoffed, drawing the attention of the other two. He pouted at the tall, dark Spaniard, who only grinned. "Are you done cleaning? It's almost time for you to go home."

Before the other man could respond, a bell tinkled.

Feliciano squealed and darted for the front door, where the tall, blonde man who was coming in froze in anticipation. True to form, the Italian crashed into him, eliciting an, 'oof' of surprise as he knocked the other man backwards. The blonde managed to catch him and keep them both from falling to the floor.

His brother bristled and stepped forward. "Feliciano!" Lovino barked, his face darkening, "stop cuddling up to that filthy potato eater before I come over there and beat some sense into you!"

In response, the other Italian squeezed the other man, who protested the action frantically, trying to avoid a scene by sparking Lovino's explosive temper any further.

"But Lovino," Feliciano protested, "why are you so against being happy, ve? You're so depressing!"

His brother snapped. "I'm going depress your – _aagh!_ "

A pair of tanned arms wrapped around Lovino's midsection and lifted him into the air. "Lovino," Antonio purred, "don't be so mean to your brother."

"Bastard!" Lovino squawked indignantly, struggling against his hold. "Baastard! _Che cazzo_! Put me down!"

Obediently, Antonio lowered his demanding captive, but did not let him go. Instead, he hugged the fuming man. "I'm sorry, Lovi," he cooed, "but I can't help it. You're so cute when you're angry!"

The offended party only grumbled in response, staring at the floor, mortified. "I should've fired you a long time ago," he fumed.

Feliciano let the blonde man go and turned on his brother. "You don't mean that," he whined, "without Antonio, we wouldn't have gotten this place at all!"

"Besides," the Hispanic man added, "you don't actually pay me."

Lovino sulked and ignored them both, instead turning towards the visibly uncomfortable man standing in the doorway. ""Beilschmidt."

"Greetings, Lovino," Ludwig Beilschmidt sighed, crossing his arms.

Feliciano wiggled impatiently. "Ve," he twittered, clutching onto his friends' bicep, "Lovi, can I go with Ludwig now?"

Both the man in question and his brother raised their eyebrows.

"I'm going somewhere?"

"Go where?"

Ludwig shook Feliciano off of his arm and let them fall to his sides, his cheeks coloring in embarrassment.

"I want to go for a walk. I haven't taken a break all day, ve," the Italian explained with a dramatic whine. "Can't I leave a little early?"

Lovino grimaced. He couldn't really force his brother to stay, but he didn't want him to be out late without him. The two had grown up in foster homes together and he had always felt responsible for his innocent, oblivious sibling. "Well," he began, drawing out the word as his eyes drifted to the falling sun. "It isn't safe for you to go out so late."

Much to Ludwig's horror, the brighter of the two siblings returned his grip to his upper arm. "I'll be okay, _fratello_ ," he chirped, "Ludwig will protect me. We won't be gone long."

"Ah," his brother huffed, unsure.

"Lovino," Antonio's rich voice cut in, drawing his attention, "I think you were right earlier. I'm not quite done cleaning yet, but if you help me I think we can be done before nighttime. Feliciano will be back by then. Right?" He looked to the younger Italian for confirmation, winking conspiratorially.

Feliciano perked up immediately, bobbing his head for emphasis. "Of course!"

The blonde man beside him still looked confused, not remembering when he had consented to going out.

Finally, Lovino sighed and turned away, waving his hand. "Fine," he tossed out, heading back for the kitchen.

"Okay!" Feliciano cheered, pulling Ludwig outside before his brother changed his mind. "I'll be back before you miss me!" he called out as the door closed behind them.

With his back still to the door, Lovino scoffed. "Then you have all the time in the world." He cut his eyes to Antonio, who was smiling after the pair wistfully. "I hope that you weren't actually expecting me to help you clean, because you're going to be disappointed."

The other man only smiled brightly and returned to wiping down the table.

Once they were outside, Ludwig managed to shake Feliciano off. The young Italian hardly noticed, and instead rocked back and forth on the heels of his feet.

Part of Ludwig wasn't that surprised to find himself, once again, in the middle of some sort of unexpected occurrence due to the shorter, auburn-haired man. After he had visited the newly-opened café for the first time, Feliciano had taken an immediate liking to him, and made him promise to come back. The more he returned, the more Feliciano had gotten attached to him. Ludwig wasn't sure when it had happened, but now his life felt utterly flat without his new friends' daily injection of chaos. He hated the disarray that the brown-eyed disaster left his life in, but enjoyed the feelings that came with it. Somehow he found the expressive gestures and lightning personality of the other man endearing.

Though sometimes he could be a little annoying.

"Ve, Ludwig, can we go get pasta please?"

The German raised an eyebrow. "Feliciano, if you wanted pasta, you could have stayed home. You serve pasta at the café. Honestly, I thought that you would be sick of it by now."

"Silly Ludwig, you can't get sick of pasta!" Feliciano declared. "But if you don't want to get pasta I guess we can walk around and see what we find. I'm just happy to be here with you," he admitted cheerfully.

Ludwig's face turned pink. "Don't be ridiculous," he said quickly, his voice rough with surprise. His companion wilted a little at his response, and almost immediately the German felt guilty. "Let's go for this walk, ja?" he offered, his eyes sliding away.

He allowed Feliciano to lead, and the two started for the end of the block. The town was small, with buildings that had built up rather than out. Their rustic community was surrounded by thick woods on nearly all sides. The café, and the upstairs room where Feliciano and Lovino lived, was on the very edge of the town, backed against the tall, looming trees above. Ludwig followed his companion to a field of cleared land that hadn't been built on. As the sun disappeared, the park was abandoned, and Feliciano was quickly distracted by the rapidly appearing, glimmering stars.

The taller man stood by as Feliciano plopped down, spreading his legs on the grass and taking a deep breath of air. Ludwig glanced up at the stars, wondering what it was about them that had drawn the other man's attention so completely. He hummed and voiced his thoughts aloud.

"Huh?" Feliciano asked distractedly, his attention drawn away from looking at the sky. "What's so special about the stars?" He looked back to the nighttime ceiling. "Well, I don't know. Ever since I was a kid, I loved to look to the sky. It was always so loud in the home me and Romano lived in, cause there were so many kids, and sometimes I just looked up to the sky to escape it all." Ludwig stared at him in shock, surprised by his matter-of-fact way of stating things. He didn't seem to pity himself at all.

Feliciano smiled, then. "It just makes me feel better," he finished, looking back up at the sky with a sigh.

Ludwig didn't say anything in response, and the two sat in silence for a while. Eventually, the blonde shifted uncomfortably. "Ja, we should be getting back, Feliciano. It's getting late."

The Italian pouted. "But Ludwig, it's not even that dark."

"What do you mean, it's not dark?" the German asked flatly, raising an eyebrow.

"Because," Feliciano defended, pointing up in the sky, "it's a full moon."

The other man looked up just in time to see the moon, which had illuminated the field with light, fall behind a strip of thick, dark clouds. It suddenly became dark indeed. Ludwig tensed, feeling a chill roll through the air. "Feliciano," he started, only to stop when his companion suddenly stood with his back to him, tense and focused.

"Shh," the Italian hushed, "do you see that?"

At the far edge of the clearing, standing on the path between the tree line and the well-maintained maintained grass, stood a hulking, shadowy figure.

"Ja, I do," Ludwig acknowledged before reaching out to take hold of Feliciano's arm, "and I think that it's all the more reason for us to leave." Much to his surprise, Feliciano slipped out of his grip and took a few soft steps towards the unknown figure.

"Feliciano!" the other man hissed. "What are you doing?"

Much to his horror, the Italian didn't answer. Instead he took off across the grass towards the threatening presence.

"What? Feliciano!" Ludwig exclaimed, taking off after him.

Unfortunately for him, Ludwig's speed couldn't hope to match how fast the other man was going. He only managed to catch up to Feliciano at the tree line, where the shape had since disappeared into the trees. The Italian yelped as Ludwig grabbed his upper arm. "What are you doing?" he chided, his voice heavy with horror and worry.

Feliciano shook his arm frantically, whimpering with pain. Guiltily, the German relaxed his grip somewhat.

It was at that moment when the trees before them rustled frantically, as if a heavy wind had blown a path through the woods. Both Ludwig and Feliciano started at the sudden noise. Somewhere off in the distance, a wolf howled. The Italian shivered.

"I don't like this," Ludwig began, releasing the other man as his eyes searched the area.

Before he could react, Feliciano darted into the woods.

"Feliciano!" he cried in surprise. He sprinted after him as the auburn-haired man dove through the trees. "What are you doing?"

Feliciano did not slow down. "What was that?" he panted, wide eyes focused on the darkened forest before them.

"What?" Ludwig shrieked. "No! It's something that we should not be following into the woods at night!"

It didn't take long for Feliciano to slow down. Just as Ludwig had him in his grasp, the Italian ducked away and slid into a clearing.

The German nearly stumbled into him as he came into the area where Feliciano had suddenly stopped, standing perfectly still. Ludwig eyes followed the other man's line of sight to the figure standing less than twenty feet away. "Feliciano," he whispered in horror.

Before them stood a tall, broad man, bare chested and wild-eyed. His eyes were yellow and glowed eerily, even under the dappled shadows that came as the moon hid behind the clouds. The man was a head taller than Ludwig, and when he grinned sharp fangs glinted at his lips.

" _Mein gott_ ," Ludwig breathed. Feliciano had begun to shake, but refused to move. "Why aren't you running?" The blonde asked frantically, grasping the Italian's arm, prepared to pull him away.

Feliciano gasped when Ludwig took a hold of him, breaking out of the gaze he'd held with the man across from them. "Stop it," he whined, seeming more distressed at Ludwig's intrusion rather than the obvious danger before them.

Ludwig grit his teeth together to keep from yelling at Feliciano in his frustration. The air was suddenly thick with tension, and with Feliciano's attention drawn to the German, it felt like a spell had been broken. The smile that had split the strange man's face disappeared.

Ignoring Feliciano's protests, Ludwig grabbed him more solidly and tried to pull him away. When Feliciano finally turned to look at him he seemed far away. His normally wide, brown eyes were glassy and the amber in his irises glinted, reflecting moonlight around them.

The silence was shattered by another howl, this one reverberating off of the trees, ear-shattering and close. Before their eyes, the strange man had crouched to the ground. His shadow became a curled ball before growing out once more. Four limbs grew beneath him, and pointed ears sprouted from his thick hair. His hair grew from every visible point on his body, from his extended, elongated snout housing sparkling teeth to the tip of a massive tail that jutted out behind him.

Before them stood a lone wolf, a gigantic creature that stood about half as tall as Ludwig and just as long. A guttural, rumbling growl emitted from it and grew into a howl that sent both of them a step back. It crouched, its breastbone in the grass, before springing into the air, covering the distance between them with a single leap.

Its eyes had been locked onto Feliciano, but Ludwig pushed him out of the way and was knocked to the ground. He wheezed as he felt the air forcibly leave his lungs. There was no time to react as the beast dug its claws into his torso, and he grunted from the pain. When it lowered its massive jaws, the blonde managed to raise his forearms to protect his head from its crushing bite. The beast managed to shred the skin on his arms before it jerked to a stop.

A stick bounced off of its head and plunked to the ground beside the two. The wolf snarled and turned.

The brunette looked at the beast, fear plainly evident in his eyes. "Nice puppy," he whimpered, before shrieking when the animal sprang at him. His left arm went up as the wolf made contact, sending them both careening backwards into a tree. Feliciano narrowly missed crushing his skull into the wooden surface. The wolf, forever, head butted the trunk and snarled with pain, standing over the Italian in a rage. He took advantage of its confusion to copy Ludwig, and when it snapped at him, it locked its teeth into his arm.

Feliciano screamed in pain, and the beast immediately let go, stepping away and turning its attention instead to Ludwig. The Italian scrambled back against the tree, cradling his injured arm. Blood oozed from his puncture wounds and through his fingers, staining the grass below.

Ludwig had regained his footing and went to help, but the wolf met him halfway.

Antonio had moved on to sweeping the dining floor when the sound of heavy footsteps rattled up the broomstick. He looked towards the sound, curiosity reflecting in his green eyes. Lovino huffed as he shoved a chair from its storage place on a nearby table. The Italian placed it towards the door, and sat down, glaring venomously at the darkened sky outside.

"Waiting for Ludwig and Feliciano to get back?" Antonio asked redundantly, setting the broom against a table before relaxing against its side himself.

There was a pregnant pause before Lovino responded. "I've been _waiting_ for more than an hour. _Che cazzo_ , where are they?"

"They probably just lost track of time," the Spaniard clucked, shaking his head. "I know I do it."

Lovino scoffed. "Well, I don't like it. I'm going to kill them both when they get back."

Antonio chuckled at his friend's fuming. He looked positively endearing when he was angry, with his cheeks puffed up and his face colored with emotion.

Impatiently, the Italian stood so fast that the chair squeaked in protest against the floor. He had already put on his blazer over his collared work shirt, and his fingers hurried over the buttons as he strode purposefully towards the front door. Antonio had already begun to follow him when Lovino reached the door and paused.

"What's wrong?" the other man asked, eyebrows furrowing at the Italian's sudden hesitation.

Lovino narrowed his eyes through the door, his hand flat against the brass pane aligned with the glass surface. "Something's really wrong," he stated sortly. "I can feel it."

Antonio blinked worriedly. Not that he wanted to disagree, but, "Are you sure, Lovino?"

"Yes I'm sure," he hissed in response. The Italian pushed the door open and faced the other man, the stirring nighttime air rustling his brown locks. "Are you coming or not?" he asked brusquely.

The man in question stiffened, startled by Lovino's sudden question. "You want to go look for them?" he asked, surprised at the conviction his companion displayed.

Rolling his eyes impatiently at Antonio's question, Lovino forced his way out the door.

* * *

 **A/N: I already have most of this story written, I just need to revise it. With nearly twenty chapters already done, expect a new chapter at least once a week! If I get lots of feedback, I may even be inspired to update more often than that.**


	2. Chapter 2

It didn't take long from Antonio to regain his sense and stumble after Lovino. The Italian stood just outside the door, cherry-faced and squinting against the gusty evening air.

He attributed his hesitation to leave without Antonio to his discovery of how eerie his hometown could be, as the streets around them had been abandoned to the falling darkness. Their neighbors were likely avoiding the wind that had recently picked up, adding a chill to the early autumn air. Lovino turned a narrowed eye to the other man's current state of dress.

"Are you stupid?" he criticized. "If you come out in this weather dressed like that, you're just going to get sick."

Antonio's eyebrows knit together in confusion as he looked down at his work clothes, a collared maroon shirt and long pants. "I don't understand, Lovino," he responded, genuinely confused.

"You're going to catch a cold," Lovino clarified, glowering.

"Oh," the Spaniard acknowledged with a pleased grin, "so Lovino is worried about me?"

The Italian's skin flushed even darker. "No, _idiota_ –"

"Here," Antonio obliged, oblivious to his companion's horror, "I'll roll down my sleeves." He proceeded to do just that, unravelling the fabric that had been pushed above his elbows. "Now I won't get cold."

Lovino stared at him incredulously for a few long moments before giving up. As far as the annoyances present in his life went, Feliciano was currently a bigger problem. He glanced up and down the street, hoping that their search would be a quick one.

"Where do you want to look?" Antonio asked patiently, once it became evident that the wandering duo were nowhere in the immediate vicinity.

The Italian huffed. "I don't know," he admitted reluctantly, irritation evident in his voice.

"Okay," the other man tried, "let's just walk a few blocks both ways. They couldn't have gone too far."

It was another ten minutes and twenty increasingly worried complaints before it was clear that Ludwig and Feliciano weren't in the area. Antonio frowned in concern, scanning the darkened streets as Lovino griped about his brother, Ludwig Beilschmidt, and the stupidity of the world at large. The two were just passing the park on their way back to the café when they stopped cold.

Lovino jumped at the sudden, triumphant howl that split through the wild air surrounding them. For his part, Antonio head snapped towards the dense tree line that lined the park where the sound had originated. By now, a full moon loomed in the sky above them, casting its eerie glow across the wind tussled grasses.

There were reasons townsfolk were warned away from the mysterious, uncharted woods.

An uncomfortable chuckle bubbled out of Antonio's lips. "That was creepy," he admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "We should probably get going, though." After a moment of uncharacteristic silence, he turned to his companion. "Lovino?"

Shadows had settled over the Italian's confused eyes. His normally expressive mouth was a flat, tight line.

"We should check the woods," he suggested slowly, disbelief evident in his own voice.

" _Qué_ _?_ " Antonio asked, baffled at Lovino's idea. "What makes you want to go in there?"

Lovino crossed his arms and examined the ground, "I don't know," he admitted, frustration and worry creeping into his voice. He glared up at the other man. "I don't want to go into those creepy woods any more than you do. But," he hesitated, his hazel eyes sliding over the trees, "I feel like that's where they are."

The Spaniard's expression sobered up, and he searched Lovino's face, making the feisty man flush from the attention. "Okay," he decided.

It was Lovino who led the way through the trees. Often, it was hard to see a few feet ahead, as the moonlight struggled to cut between the thick ceiling of branches and leaves above. Antonio was never more than a step behind. He was wary of the cacophony of sounds around them, and refused to let Lovino out of his reach.

When the Italian stopped short, Antonio nearly ran into him.

"Do you hear that?" Lovino asked, ignoring the snapping of branches as the Spaniard backpedaled.

Antonio's eyes widened, and he looked around sharply. "Hear what?"

As if in answer, a scream burst through the trees, silencing the forest and spurring them both into action.

"Feliciano!" Lovino cried out, taking off towards the sound.

The pair stumbled into a clearing lit by a pool of moonlight. Immediately, they spotted Feliciano cowering under a tree at the opposite end. He didn't seem to notice them. The Italian was clutching Ludwig by the other man's midsection, and the blonde was limp. Both were spattered with blood.

A hulking beast stalked towards them, growling menacingly. Feliciano winced and shut his eyes.

"Hey!" Lovino shouted angrily, causing both Feliciano and the animal to look at him. The yellowed eyes of the beast blazed with fury. It growled ferociously at the intrusion, and blood sparkled on its lips and massive canines. As the massive wolf rounded on them, the feisty Italian quickly lost his nerve. He flinched as it crouched and sprung, jaws outstretched and dripping blood and saliva.

Lovino felt himself being pushed back. A heavy thump echoed in his ears, followed by a yelp of shock.

He opened his eyes.

Off to the side, the wolf was sprawled across the ground with a fresh gash on its shoulder. Lovino looked at Antonio in shock. His emerald eyes were sharpened in on the wolf and his fingers – were those _claws_? – dripped with blood, with tufts of fur caught underneath his nails. He continued to glare venomously as the wolf staggered to its feet.

"Antonio?" Lovino yelped as he took a step away.

Before Antonio could offer any type of response, the wolf roared with fury and sprung for him again. He buffered the attack, catching the massive creature with a grunt of exertion and slamming it into the ground in one motion. The man held the wriggling, snapping beast down, unafraid of its indignant counterattacks.

"Get Ludwig and Feliciano!" Antonio ordered, tearing his attention away from the massive, struggling creature beneath him. Lovino stared, uncomprehending, at the wolf, reduced to a furious, wriggling mass underneath his busboy.

"Lovino!" the other man pleaded, urgency in his voice. His voice drew the shocked Italian's eyes to his, seeming to snap him out of his reverie. Finally, Lovino snapped into action, tearing his gaze away and dashing across the clearing to his brother and Ludwig. Ludwig was clearly unconscious, propped against Feliciano limply and pale from blood loss. The frightened man held him anyway, rocking back and forth with his eyes clenched tightly shut.

He screamed in pain when Lovino tried to pull his arm away. The other Italian looked at him in shock, but when he pulled his hands away they were stained with blood. It had soaked through the fabric of Feliciano's shirt sleeve, which was shredded from the wolf's dagger-like teeth.

" _Che cazzo_ ," Lovino cursed, taking in the amount of blood that poured from his sibling's wound. "Move your arm Feliciano," he ordered in exasperation, hoping that Antonio was continuing to keep the wolf busy behind him.

Almost in response to Lovino's thoughts, Feliciano looked up and screeched in terror. Lovino flinched and looked behind him, where the wolf had managed to wriggle out of Antonio's hold. It dove for the two before being tackled out of the air by Antonio. He clutched it and pulled back, digging his sharpened nails in to drag it away. The wolf cried out in pain and snapped at Antonio's arm. Even as its teeth broke skin, the man seemed unfazed, grunting with exertion as he continued to hold on.

"Antonio?" Feliciano cried in shock.

"I don't know," Lovino answered brusquely, calling his brother's attention back to him. "We've got to get you guys out of here." He checked the wound on Feliciano's arm through the shredded fabric. It was a clean bite, with a few deep puncture wounds on either side that were pooling blood. Ludwig looked horrible by comparison, with claw and bite marks across his chest, blood oozing from both those wounds and the ones of his arms and legs.

Feliciano allowed himself to be peeled away by his brother, looking very pale himself. " _Ve_ ," he moaned, "I don't feel so good." His body became very relaxed as Lovino took Ludwig away.

Lovino immediately let the blonde fall into the grass. He gripped Feliciano's roughly, trying to catch his brother's eyes as they disappeared underneath his fluttering eyelids. "Look at me," he hissed, "don't you dare pass out on me."

Unfortunately, Feliciano relaxed in his hands, and his eyelids closed.

Lovino felt panic rising within him. He slapped his brother's cheek in an attempt to wake him, but there was no response.

In desperation, he turned to check the scene behind him again, only to find that the struggle was over. The wolf lay on its side, alternating between whining and breathing shallowly. Patches of skin were visible where fur had been torn away, and the majority of its remaining fur was matted with blood. A pool of the liquid had formed beneath the beast, and when it breathed out it gurgled. It shuddered and let out a decidedly human moan of pain.

Antonio was on the ground beside it, his forearm resting across his knee as he panted from exertion.

"W-We have to get them to the hospital," Lovino decided shakily, holding his limp brother as he stared at the horrifying scene. Antonio snapped his head up to look at the Italian. His sharp stare caused the other man to freeze, unused to such seriousness from his normally carefree companion. Almost apologetically, Antonio looked away. He stood and looked at the wolf once more before coming over to pick up Ludwig.

Lovino tensed, watching Antonio carefully.

The Hispanic man finally turned to him with Ludwig over his shoulder. "I'm sorry," he began, looking concerned, "but I don't think it's a good idea to take them now. If nothing happens by tomorrow morning…" Antonio trailed off, looking down at Feliciano with worry.

"What are you expecting to happen?" Lovino asked, suspicion and worry lacing his words.

Antonio bent to pick Feliciano up, and his brother let him go, too exhausted to fight over him. Instead, Lovino stared at the ground in thought as he picked himself up. His hazel eyes flickered over to the unmoving form of the wolf for a moment. "That wasn't a normal wolf, was it?" he voiced, disbelief clouding his voice.

The look Antonio gave him made his heart drop.

Eyes the color of tarnished gold opened to the morning light.

Feliciano yawned widely, stretching his arms towards the ceiling before wincing in pain. He brought his protesting arm down to inspect it. It was wrapped in fresh bandages from his wrist to nearly his elbow, and underneath it his muscles ached.

Surprised, the Italian allowed his arm to fall to his side as he sat up and looked around. He was back in his room above the café. Sunlight streamed through the windows, and a gentle wind flowed through the curtains. Outside, birds were chirping.

Next to him sat Romano. In contrast, his brother looked exhausted. His hair was frizzy, and there were pieces of grass and leaves tangled in his dark locks. The skin underneath his eyes was dark and puffy.

"Don't look so sad Lovino," the Feliciano chirped, "I'm okay." That was the relative truth. His arm was throbbing with dulled pain, but other than that he felt fine.

Lovino didn't say anything in response. He just stared at his brother, visibly shaken. His usually puckered mouth was drawn into a tight line, and he refused to look Feliciano in the eyes.

The door creaked open.

Antonio entered the room holding a roll of bandages, drawing the attention of both siblings. Lovino visibly stiffened and looked away. Feliciano barely registered the quick, sad glance that the other man cast towards his brother before being swept up in Antonio's sudden good cheer.

"Feliciano," he greeted with a smile, "you're awake! How are you feeling?"

"Much better, _ve_ ," the Italian responded. There was an expectant pause before he added, "My arm hurts a little bit."

The Spaniard cocked his head. "Anything else?"

"Nope," Feliciano replied, "in fact, besides that I feel better than usual." For some reason, he did feel rather energized. He had never noticed just how good his home smelled, between the remnant smells of the candles and food from downstairs.

He missed his sibling biting the inside of his cheek, instead looking around for Ludwig. "Where's Ludwig?" Feliciano asked, suddenly anxious. "Is he okay?"

Antonio nodded. "Ludwig is okay. He had more injuries than you, but they weren't quite as deep. He got up a little while ago. I think he went to get some fresh air, but I'm sure he'll be back in a little while."

"Okay," Feliciano acknowledged, crestfallen. He wanted to see Ludwig.

Lovino had stayed silent throughout their exchange, his face becoming darker and darker. Suddenly, he stood from his chair. It squeaked against the wood, and the sudden sound distracted them from any further conversation. The man turned and strode towards the door, refusing to look at either of them. Antonio moved out of the way as Lovino left. When the door slammed behind him, both he and Feliciano flinched.

" _Fratello_?" Feliciano whimpered at the closed door.

A shadow passed over Antonio's face. "He…probably has a lot on his mind," he said slowly. "It's been a long night for him. After we brought you and Ludwig back here last night, he cleaned you up. I couldn't get him to leave and get some sleep. Lovino stayed up the rest of the night changing the bandages on your arms, but I think he just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Feliciano's heart warmed a little at that. His brother did care for him, even though he could be a little mean. But then his heart sank. If Lovino hadn't gotten any sleep, it was his fault. "Why didn't you take us to the hospital?" he asked suddenly, looking curiously at Antonio.

He was immediately sorry. Antonio froze, his tentative smile bending into a grimace. "You probably have to go to the bathroom, _sí?_ I think Lovino went to take a shower, but you can use the one downstairs in the restaurant."

That wasn't an answer and Feliciano knew it. "Okay," he murmured guilty, understanding that things were far from normal. "I guess I do have to go."

Antonio watched Feliciano bring himself to his feet, and followed him as he made his way down the stairs. He stood outside politely as the younger man stepped into the bathroom.

Feliciano glanced at the mirror as he went to grab the knob to close the door. In that instant, he completely froze, his forgotten arm falling to his side.

There were two large, fluffy ears nestled in his hair. They were perked up stiffly with his wide eyes, and when his shock dissolved into tentative curiosity they relaxed. Reverently, Feliciano reached up and fingered one of the triangular protrusions. The skin was leathery but soft, and tracing the skin inside sent shivers down his spine.

He whimpered, and then immediately clapped his hand over his mouth. The noise had always been an unconscious reaction, but now it seemed too animalistic.

Upon removing his hand, Feliciano noticed his now elongated canines. They poked into his bottom lip slightly, making little pockets in the soft tissue.

His normally dark brown eyes seemed brighter too, and he could see easily, even in the dim lighting provided through the still open door. Amber and bronze shined in his irises.

When he looked away, trying to process what he was seeing, a glimpse of movement caught his eye. He looked behind him, not quite being able to tell – but almost – Feliciano turned and spun, not quite comprehending what he was seeing. Eventually he stopped with his back to the mirror. The Italian looked over his shoulder.

It was a tail.

Feliciano burst out of the bathroom, turning on Antonio with another whimper. "Antonio… what happened to me?"

The other man looked remorseful. "You were attacked by a werewolf, Feliciano."

In response, Feliciano only stared, uncomprehending. "Where's Ludwig? Is he okay?" he asked, suddenly alarmed. The blonde had taken far more of the attack.

"He's in the yard," Antonio admitted, looking concerned. Feliciano shifted, looking towards the back door. "I would wait before going to see him, Feliciano. He probably needs _un momento, sí_?"

His suggestion fell on deaf ears. All he heard in response was the sound of the Italian running to the back of the building.

Behind the restaurant wasn't much of a yard. It was a pitiful rectangle of hard packed dirt, with little else but a few spurts of hardy grass dotted around.

Regardless, Feliciano nearly tripped out of the doorway when he saw what was standing there.

A massive wolf with light fur was pacing around in the dirt. At the sound of his stumble, the beast snapped its head up, ears pointed forward attentively. When it saw Feliciano, its ears flattened.

Feliciano stepped into the yard carefully. He cooed at the animal uncertainly, trying to get it to come closer. The wolf came forward a few steps, squaring itself to him. It halted and sat then, watching his approach with narrowed, icy eyes.

"Ludwig?" he squeaked nervously, slowing his approach. He crouched down on his knees and stared at the creature anxiously.

The wolf didn't move.

Feliciano was scared. Not of the wolf, really, but more of the fact that the wolf could only be Ludwig, and Ludwig did not seem pleased. He couldn't understand what he was supposed to do.

But if Feliciano was a werewolf now, then he should be able to change into a wolf too.

He closed his eyes and tried to think wolfish thoughts. Unfortunately, the man didn't have the slightest clue what he was supposed to think about. Exasperation clouded his mind.

The imposing wolf watched as Feliciano allowed himself to roll back from his crouch and plop onto the ground. He couldn't focus at all, and it was easy for his thoughts to finally overwhelm him. Everyone had been put into danger because of him, and now they were all rightfully angry. Even Antonio, who was clearly making an effort, seemed distracted and distant.

All he wanted to do now was talk to Ludwig, and try to say sorry, but he couldn't even manage that.

He didn't notice when the creature across from him stiffened as he tucked his head into his arms and began to cry. It stood and tried to advance, but yelped in alarm when Feliciano began to change. Fur sprouted from his body as his form lengthened along the ground.

Afterwards, the other wolf stepped closer tentatively, inspecting the lump of brown fur curiously. Then it nudged the other animals.

"Ludwig?" Feliciano whimpered, picking his head up, their noses nearly touching.

The larger wolf reeled back, realizing how close he had gotten. When he was a respectable distance away, he dipped his nose towards the ground, " _Ja_ ," he murmured, seeming uncomfortable.

"Ludwig!" he yipped excitedly, immediately on his feet and bounding forward to close the distance between them. He steeled himself as the new wolf careened into his form. Unfazed, Feliciano happily nuzzled his face into his fur.

When he didn't move, Feliciano backed away, nearly tripping over his own paws. " _Ve_ ," he twittered, caught up in his excitement and nervousness. He tried to calm himself down. "I'm sorry."

Ludwig's fur bristled, and Feliciano flinched, instinctively feeling chastened. Embarrassed, the bigger animal stood, trying to make himself seem less threatening. "Why?" he asked, disappointment dripping from his voice.

"Why?" Feliciano echoed, confused.

The other wolf cocked his head, ears pinned back against his head. "Why," he repeated, forced patience in his voice, "did you follow that dangerous man into the woods?"

"I don't know," Feliciano answered honestly. "I just felt like… I wanted to know…"

"Know what?" When he received a low, long whine as a response, Ludwig softened. "Feliciano..."

He was currently lying despondently on the ground, his head resting sullenly on his paws. "I understand if you don't want to be my friend anymore," he whimpered softly, looking down. "It's all my fault were like this, and I got everyone hurt."

Ludwig was taken aback. He couldn't see Feliciano's eyes, but something in his voice made him feel bad. He padded over and nudged the Italian's side. " _Ja_ , you did do something stupid," he began, before sighing, "but I'll always be there to protect you. That's what friends do for one another."

"Really?" Feliciano asked hopefully, turning his head to look up at his friend.

The wolf felt himself blush. He took a step back as Feliciano got up, "Of course," he confirmed, shaking out his fur, regaining his dignity. "Now, show me how you were able to shift forms. I haven't been able to turn back."

An instantly happy Feliciano rolled onto his back and pawed at the air. "I was thinking about how badly I felt, and how much I wanted to talk to you," he admitted easily, "and it just sorta happened."

Ludwig ignored the warmth that was continuing to spread over him at Feliciano's easy confession. "So, what you're telling me is that I need to really want to become a human again? I assure you that I do. I've been trying for hours," the wolf admitted bitterly.

"I believe you," Feliciano agreed absentmindedly, still lolling around on his back.

The light-furred wolf grunted and sat back on his haunches. In his mind, Ludwig focused on the feeling of walking on two legs, blocking out the sound of Feliciano's wriggling in the dirt. He tensed his body and waited.

After a few moments and the sound of footsteps, he opened his eyes.

Feliciano sat directly in front of him, head cocked and ears pointed forward. "It didn't work?" he asked. Ludwig shook his head. The other wolf's happy ears drooped. "Oh." He then got to his feet and came even closer to Ludwig, who tensed apprehensively.

The larger animal sputtered when his friend nuzzled his neck again.

"I meant to thank you for protecting me," Feliciano offered, drawing away.

"I didn't," Ludwig grumbled, shifting uncomfortably. "You were still hurt."

The other wolf paused, considering. "Yeah," he agreed, "but you were hurt worse, because you were watching out for me, right?" When Ludwig didn't respond, Feliciano turned tail and walked a short distance away to rest in the sun.

Ludwig closed his eyes with a sigh. Feliciano was right. He hadn't considered his actions when he saw the werewolf lunge for them. Almost instinctively, he had pushed Feliciano out of the way. Part of him reasoned that he did it because he knew that Feliciano was frail compared to him, and his actions were a result of knowing that he could withstand the attack better. On the other hand, Ludwig knew that reason hadn't compelled him to take the hit for Feliciano. He genuinely cared for his friend.

Seeing Feliciano happy made him happy, too.

To his surprise, he began to feel a slight discomfort in his bones as they began to shift.

In a moment, Ludwig was sitting on the ground as a fully clothed human. He breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for whatever magic that enabled him to maintain his decency.

The blonde started to smooth back his hair, and was surprised to feel his wolf ears fold underneath his hand.

He turned to look at Feliciano. He was still, lying with his eyes closed in a sunny patch of the yard.

"Feliciano!" he barked. The brown wolf's ears perked up, and he lifted his head to look at Ludwig curiously. "We should be going back inside," Ludwig decided. Feliciano flashed a doggie grin and loped over to the sitting man. He placed his muzzle on his thigh, looking up with a whine.

Ludwig raised an eyebrow and gave the animal an incredulous look. After a moment where Feliciano did not move, making it clear that in was in fact quite serious, the blonde gave in and scratched him behind the ears. Feliciano closed his eyes happily and enjoyed the feeling.

When Ludwig stopped, the wolf looked at him pleadingly for a moment before giving up. He backed away, yawned, stretched, and turned back into a human.

The other man watched, silently envying Feliciano's ability to change so easily.

Both wolf-like humans made their way back inside.

* * *

 **A/N: College, busy, excuses, excuses. I've picked up the revisions on this story! I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Sorry for the weird ending, but this chapter was getting way too long.**

 **Also, review?**


	3. Chapter 3

The dining room was empty. Though midday sun shone through the tall windows, the chairs were overturned on the tabletops and tablecloths lay folded on the counter. It was almost eerily silent in the café, a sharp contrast to how alive it usually would have been on such a pleasant day.

Lovino sat at one of the only assembled tables. It was still missing its tablecloth, and it was free of any decoration or settings, but there was food, and Ludwig and Feliciano were immediately drawn to it. Hazel eyes studied the two apprehensively as they approached, but Lovino said nothing. He seemed to have already finished eating. As the two sat down, he crossed his arms and stiffened.

Feliciano immediately started eating, oblivious to his brother's horror. Ludwig looked at the dark-haired Italian uncomfortably. He was hungry, too, but he felt Lovino's anxiety.

Eventually hunger won him over. By the time Antonio came into the room, both of the new werewolves were eating voraciously.

Lovino didn't say anything when the Spaniard entered, either. He just watched tensely, and when Antonio sat down, he shifted almost imperceptibly away.

"Are you two feeling better?" Antonio asked, sliding into his seat.

Feliciano paused from his meal. "I'm okay," he responded cheerily.

" _Ja_ , thank you for asking," Ludwig responded, putting his fork down. "Did you make this?"

"I did," Antonio confirmed happily. "It's been a long night. I figured everyone would be hungry."

"It's really good," Feliciano complimented, taking a break from enthusiastically wolfing down his meal.

Lovino unfurled his arms. "Cut it out with the small talk," he cut in, suddenly angry. "What the hell are we going to do? We all have lives to get back to, and I'm sitting across from two _werewolves_!"

The table went uncomfortably silent. Feliciano visibly wilted, and Antonio glanced at the angry Italian guiltily. Ludwig set his utensil down.

"He's right," the blonde admitted. "I have a job, but I can't go like this. There has to be something we can do."

All eyes unconsciously drifted to Antonio, who seemed to have become something of an authority on the werewolf situation. The Spaniard sighed. "I don't know how to fix this, but I know someone who might."

Romano's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I haven't talked to him in a long time," he quickly rushed out, raising his hands, "but he has connections. If he can't help us, then he knows someone who can."

Feliciano looked excited. "Who is it?"

Antonio scratched the back of his neck with a wince. "I think the less you know, the better."

It was decided that they would set out later in the day. Antonio insisted that their destination was only a short walk across town, and that it would be fine if they were to set out just before dark. The hope was to draw less attention to Feliciano and Ludwig's wolfish features.

On the particular evening, the weather was far more agreeable. It was warm enough to go out without overcoats or jackets, and there was no wind to chill the air. The streetlights that lined the streets cast an orange glow on the sidewalks. Up in the sky, the waning moon rose, without a single cloud to hide it away.

Feliciano relished the in the falling night. He could hear and see so much better now, and he didn't feel nearly as tired. It was almost as if he could hear the world around them, from the sigh of the trees to the chattering of insects and smaller animals. Before, he had always thought his home to be beautiful, but now it seemed so much more alive. He was picking up the sweet, faint whiff of rain that had fallen days ago, mixed with the natural smells of the plants and the scents that had been left by those who had passed over the streets earlier in the day.

For what seemed to be the billionth time, Ludwig pulled Feliciano back from his wandering. He was eager to reach their destination and find a cure. Until he had one, there wasn't any way for him to continue his normal life. It had been a boring routine, being that he had no family to return home to, but he did have a job. Without a cure, he couldn't go back to work.

He looked down at the distracted werewolf beside him, guiding Feliciano back to the sidewalk again. In a way, he supposed he had Feliciano. Ludwig flushed. But then, he reasoned that it was possible that he had found something like friendship with the entirety of his current group. Even though Lovino despised him, he knew that the irritable Italian only wanted the best for his brother. Ludwig seemed to make Feliciano happy, he hoped, so Lovino had to grudgingly accept his company. And because of recent events, he was connected to Antonio as more than just a co-conspirator in distracting Lovino.

Feliciano was wandering again. Calling upon his meager bravado, Ludwig finally caught Feliciano's had and grasped it tightly within his own. "I'm tired of you walking away," he muttered in response to the brunette's questioning eyes. "You need to focus," the German added, immediately regretting his comment when Feliciano looked at him with disappointment in his amber eyes. Ludwig sighed to himself.

For his part, Antonio led the way, walking in front of the group through the darkening streets. He kept casting glances back at the brooding Lovino, who pointedly ignored his attention. Whenever he looked away, the Italian resumed glaring a hole through the back of his head.

There was a lot that Antonio wasn't telling them. His evasiveness hurt, though Lovino would never admit that. He had trusted Antonio with a lot, more than he probably should have. Now he found himself regretting his relative openness. A lot had transpired in such a short amount of time, but it seemed that he was the only one who was really bothered by any of it. Antonio hardly seemed phased. There seemed to be a large part of his life, of himself, that Lovino would have never known even existed.

After a little while of walking, they arrived at a tightly packed row of brick buildings. Antonio stopped between two of the many nondescript structures. They were impressive, if identical, buildings. Each was two stories high, with a well-maintained exterior, except for the occasional lazy ivy crawling up the red stone. Yet, the plants seemed to add to the scene. Their coils and leaves shined in the streetlights.

Antonio had paused, considering the two buildings. He now went towards the door to the left. The other three followed him, but stood further away from the door. He knocked three times.

They all waited for a long moment.

"Are you sure you picked the right house?" Lovino asked condescendingly.

Feliciano was a little nicer. "Maybe they're not home?"

"Knock harder," Ludwig suggested.

Antonio tried Ludwig's idea, followed by, "Francis! It's Antonio, I need your help."

"Antonio?" came a muffled cry of recognition from inside.

Without a moment, the heavy oak door swung open wide. A blonde man with long, wavy hair stood on the other side. He was handsome, with glimmering eyes and sparse stubble on his chin. His attention was immediately drawn past Antonio, stopping to smolder the unfamiliar figures. Lovino narrowed his eyes in response.

After the pause, the blonde's arms were flung wide. "Antonio, old friend!" he greeted, his voice haughty. Lovino recoiled when the man wrapped the Spaniard in a hug, but Antonio only laughed and returned the gesture. Once freed, the blonde eyed up the group once more. "And who are your handsome friends?"

"Well, this is Ludwig," Antonio began, with a nod towards the man who had tensed from his friend's complimentary attitude. Ludwig had the forethought to intercept the incoming hug by offering his hand for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you," he greeted cordially, trying and failing to conceal his discomfort when the other blonde traced his fingertips on Ludwig's palm.

Antonio did not notice. "Next to him is Feliciano," he continued. The cheery Italian was about to greet him when the newcomer swooped down for a hug. He smiled and returned the gesture, only pausing when the man found his bottom and squeezed it lightly.

"Oh!" he yelped in surprise. Ludwig noticed what had happened first, and outright growled at the display, his ears laid back against his head. Francis smirked and raised an eyebrow at his response.

"Last but not least, this is my friend Lovino. Everyone, this is Francis," Antonio finished.

Lovino tried to avoid the forthcoming hug of greeting. When he was unable to do that, he reached down and slapped Francis' hand away when he reached for his backside.

"To what occasion do I owe this _surprise_ visit?" Francis asked pointedly, noting the time.

"Werewolf attack," Antonio answered simply.

"Oh?" the Frenchman asked, looking over Feliciano and Ludwig's features with a more critical eye. "Onhonhon, I had assumed they were born that way. That is troubling. Please, come in." He turned away, allowing the group to cross the threshold.

They followed him through a house filled with antiques. Everything was impossibly perfect and preserved, almost to the point of making Francis' home seem like a museum. Most of the walls were the color of red wine, and the overhead fixtures did not cast the same blaring light that they might have in a regular home. They were dimmed, bathing the entire home in a vaguely sensual glow.

When they reached the back of the home, they found themselves in an opulent kitchen. Francis gestured them towards the table at the far end of the room. He gravitated towards the counter, where a cutting board lay abandoned. "Please sit down," he offered, looking at the still-standing group. "I was only about to have a snack. I can make more now, I suppose."

Feliciano hopped around a bit. "If we have a minute," he pleaded, "can you please tell me where the bathroom is?"

The wavy haired blonde considered the Italian for a moment before his eyes flickered over to Antonio. "You do remember where the bathroom is, don't you?"

Antonio seemed reluctant. "I think so," he admitted slowly.

"Please direct him, then. I won't have anyone wandering around in my house."

Ludwig moved closer to Feliciano. "I'll join you," he decided.

The Spaniard looked pleadingly at Lovino. In response, the Italian stubbornly turned away.

"Of course," Francis began, a smile sliding over his face, "Lovino can stay and help me to prepare the food." He swept over to the brunette. "I've heard that you and your brother are quite the _cuisiniers_. I would love the opportunity to work with you."

Antonio looked doubtful, so Lovino had to accept. "Okay," he agreed, moving away to wash his hands at the sink. "See you in a little bit," the Italian called mockingly over his shoulder.

When Antonio hesitated, Feliciano turned and started for the stairs that spiraled upwards. Ludwig immediately followed him, and Antonio was forced to trail behind them. No one was willing to let Feliciano get lost in the unfamiliar building.

"Wine?" Francis offered, taking a sip from his previously discarded glass.

Lovino eyed the red liquid, but shook his head as he dried his hands on a towel. "I'm fine."

"You are," the blonde purred, sliding up next to him in front of the cutting board. The younger man turned red from the sudden, close contact, but did not respond. He took the knife and began to chop the ingredients. While Lovino tried to focus on what he was doing, he was intently aware of how close Francis was.

The other man did not say anything for a while. Instead, he took another sip of his drink, and watched the Italian intently.

Flustered, Lovino set the knife down. "W-What are you doing?" he sputtered, glaring halfheartedly at the Frenchman.

Francis laughed, wholly unconcerned. "Trying to seduce you," he admitted teasingly, with a wink. He picked up the knife that the other man had set down. As he resumed chopping, half-lidded eyes flickered over Lovino's form. "Is it working?"

The other man sputtered, unused to such forwardness. He shifted away from Francis, whose attention seemed to have been drawn back to the task at hand. "I– ah…"

"You look flushed," the blonde teased, eyes crinkling at the corners. He poured another glass of wine and offered it to the flustered Italian. "Try this, I insist."

Reluctantly, Lovino accepted the glass of red wine from Francis. He stared at the contents for a moment, and swirled the contents with a wave of his hand. With Francis' insistence, he took a sip. "This isn't terrible," he noted, sounding vaguely pleased.

"Of course not," Francis responded, sounding offended. "I have only ever served the best of my wine to my guests."

Lovino took a few more drinks, and felt himself relax. "You make it sound like you have a lot of guests," he responded dubiously.

The blonde smirked. "Of course I do," he hummed in response, stepping closer. He trailed his fingers down Lovino's arm, breathing in sharply as his caressed his skin. Then his eyes met the Italian's. "I've become quite popular."

The brunette narrowed his eyes, trying to remember something just beyond his reach. Eventually he gave up. "Why?" he intoned, trying to focus.

Suddenly Francis's face was very close to his. "Do you really want to know?" he asked.

He was so close Lovino could feel his breath on his face. The Italian should have been alarmed, but he couldn't quite muster up the energy. His hazel eyes could only watch as Francis brought his mouth close…

 _What was he doing?_

Lovino pushed Francis away with a screech of horror. " _What the fuck?_ " he yelled, gasping his neck where the blonde had glided his mouth just above his collarbone. Something had pricked him. " _What the fuck?_ " the Italian yelped again, too dazed to do much else. He leaned against the counter, the exhaustion that had been creeping up on him more obviously draining his energy. With shaking hands, he reached behind him and grasped the discarded knife.

Francis' eyes widened, and he stepped away. "Put the knife down, _chéri_ ," he reasoned, a nervous laugh in his voice.

"St-Stay away from me," Lovino ordered, pointing the knife at Francis.

By that time, Antonio, Ludwig, and Feliciano had come running. "Lovino!" Spain cried, observing the scene, "What are you doing?"

"I th-thought he was going to kiss me, but he tried to bite my neck!"

"…You were going to let him kiss you?" Antonio asked, horrified.

Ludwig stared at Francis, baffled. "You tried to bite his neck?"

" _Ve_ ," Feliciano twittered, " _fratello_ looks angry."

Lovino looked at Antonio in shock. "I wasn't really going to let him kiss me."

" _Légère_ ," Francis grumbled. "Tease."

"Francis!" Antonio stared at his friend.

The knife-wielding Italian narrowed his eyes. " _You little shit!_ "

With that, Lovino lunged for Francis, grossly overestimating his motor skills. The Frenchman jumped out of the way and hid behind Ludwig, a choice that did nothing to deter the enraged man. When he went for both of the blondes, Antonio caught him and grabbed the knife. "Lovino!" he chastised, trying to subdue the struggling Italian. "I need you to calm down."

Lovino didn't have much fight left in him by that point. He slumped back against the Spaniard, and Antonio was able to give the knife to Feliciano instead.

At that point, Francis came out from behind Ludwig. Antonio looked at his friend humorlessly. "Francis," he sighed, "the problem here is that you shouldn't have been trying to bite _mi_ Lovino's neck."

"You never said he was yours!" Francis whined.

For his part, the Italian lifted his head and weakly added, "I'm not," but went largely unnoticed.

"If I had known," the blonde continued, "I would have left you to him."

"Psycho," Lovino grumbled, though his voice lacked venom.

Antonio guided his limp captive over to the table. "Now Lovino," he chided patiently as he placed Lovino in a seat, "that isn't very nice. Francis is a vampire. Biting the necks of gorgeous people…that's what he does, _sí_?"

The Italian did not register the compliment. He attempted to lift his head and affix the other man with a glare. "You left me alone with a vampire?" he asked disbelievingly.

"I didn't want to," Antonio pointed out, taking his seat next to Lovino. Feliciano and Ludwig sat across from them, looking bewildered. When Francis came with the food, seating himself as far from them as possible, the Spaniard looked at his friend in confusion. "What exactly were you going to do once you bit Lovino?"

Francis crossed his arms defensively. "I would have drained his blood – not all of it, mind you," he scoffed when the majority of the table looked at him, aghast. "The special wine I gave him would have eased him into sleep, and I would've told you that he was tired."

"Special wine?" Lovino groaned, eying his discarded drink on the counter. The red wine suddenly looked far from innocent. He felt his stomach turn.

The group winced when the Italian retched, emptying the meager contents of his stomach onto the floor.

A little while later, everyone was finally settled at the kitchen table once more. Francis looked disgruntled, and Lovino had since passed out, but Antonio and Feliciano had successfully cleaned up the scene.

Finally, they were able to get around to the purpose of the visit.

"A werewolf attack?" Francis echoed upon finally getting the story. He rubbed his chin in thought. "It's rare to see one person turned, but two? Are you sure that you weren't part werewolf?" The vampire looked defensive in response to the humorless looks he received from the table. "I'm sorry, but I must say that it is rare to see two people survive a werewolf attack, and I have never heard of a case where both were turned. Werewolf bites are rarely infectious."

"We only survived because Antonio and Lovino came to help," Feliciano offered honestly. "We would have been in big trouble without them."

Francis and Antonio shared a look, the vampire raising a questioning eyebrow at his friend. "I see," he hummed. Then he directed his attention back to the two werewolves. "Do you want to turn back?"

Ludwig spoke up without hesitation. "Yes. Do you know how we could do that?"

"I have heard of a way to reverse a werewolf bite," Francis confirmed, and Ludwig stiffened in anticipation, his ears pointing straight up in interest, "but I don't have it." He observed the disappointed faces of those surrounding him before cracking a smile. "But there is hope. I know of someone who almost certainly knows…but he doesn't take visitors well."

"Where does he live?" Ludwig asked, staring intently.

Lovino stirred and lifted his head, blinking blearily out at the night sky through one of the windows.

"Actually," Francis continued, looking pleased with himself, "he lives in this town. We can set out for his house in the morning, since it is so late."

"The fuck we are," Lovino interjected suddenly, his voice thick with sleep, "I'm not staying in this creep's house for the rest of the night."

"In that case, maybe he'll be nice enough to let us in," the vampire stated flatly, clearly not hopeful, but unwilling to incite the Italian again.

Antonio seemed pleased. "We'll set out right away," he decided.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for your kind reviews! I was so happy, I was able to get this chapter up for you all. I hope you enjoy.**


	4. Chapter 4

"You most certainly may not come in!" a man's voice spat, one green eye glaring out from behind the slightly open door.

The assembled group had arrived at a nondescript building at the edge of town. Its only notable feature was its odd placement, at the end of a winding dirt path that led into the forest. Both the house and its path were overrun with plant life. Shrubs and grass had all but overtaken the dirt path, and prickly bushes surrounded the house, with ivy carpeting its walls.

Despite the late hour, the forest was very much awake. Insects and animals cried out into the night, creating a ruckus that defied the sleepy glow of the moon.

"Do you know what time it is, you filthy bloodsucking frog?" The voice chided, his tone harsh with annoyance.

Francis smirked, struggling to ignore the insult. "But my dear Arthur," he said grandly with a sweep of his arm, "I brought friends!"

The green eyes didn't even flicker to the others behind the vampire. "I'm well aware of that," he snapped. "There are not one, but five beings outside of my home with no concept of time."

Before Francis could respond in a manner that would have undoubtedly made the situation worse, a very undignified wheeze came from behind the door. The green eyes disappeared, only to be replaced by a pair of deep blue irises.

"You have friends?" a high, excited voice asked, clearly surprised. The eyes darted around, quickly scanning over the visitor's features before widening. In a moment, the oceanic irises were clouded by an inky blackness, and the eyes stared out at them with unfathomable pupils. "Ooh," the voice hummed with understanding, sounding pleased, "weird friends."

Lovino stared. Under the darkness provided by the overhanging trees, he was having a difficult time making out figures even a few feet in front of him. The amount of creatures around him with night vision only served to make the Italian more uncomfortable.

The door slammed shut.

Before anyone could react, it swung open again to reveal a smiling, pupiless blonde man. He smiled brightly – holding the green-eyed man at arm's length. Even though he wore a pair of loose, thick cotton pants and a wrinkled white t-shirt, it was the man behind him who looked disheveled. The other man was wearing stiff pajamas, but his collared shirt was askew and his hair was messy from sleep.

"Come on in!" the friendly blonde invited as the man behind him stepped away in defeat. He attempted to straighten his shirt, and managed to glare somewhat imposingly at the intruders.

"Onhonhon," Francis chuckled as he stepped through the doorway, his eyes roaming appreciatively over the casually dressed blonde's form. "I didn't know you had a roommate, Arthur."

Arthur, the scruffy, green eyed man, furrowed his bushy eyebrows and sighed. He rubbed the side of his head with his fingers in an effort to deter his impending headache. "He's not…no. Alfred is the product of a spell gone very, very wrong," he corrected exhaustedly. He returned his glare to the man in question. "Now," he ground out pointedly, "I have been unable to get him to leave."

Alfred laughed, unabashed. "If you're going to try to summon a being from the dark realm, make sure you know what you're doing," he guffawed. "It's not like you can banish a demon."

"It's not for a lack of trying," Arthur spat bitterly.

"Demon?" Feliciano murmured, shifting slightly to hide behind Ludwig. The blonde stayed silent, taking in all of the new information.

"What do you mean, 'a spell'?" Lovino recalled, looking between the two blondes.

"Oh sure," Alfred replied, grinning as he yanked Arthur close under his arm. "Arthur here is a wizard – but honestly, he's more of an old hang in spirit than physical features, don't 'cha think?"

"Hey!" the magic user in question squawked, yanking himself out of Alfred's hold. "I am not a hag!"

At that moment, the door behind them closed with a click. The group turned their collective attention to the culprit, another blonde man with soft, wavy hair. Like Arthur, he was wearing a set of collared pajamas, though his were neat and black. Under the sudden attention, he flushed lightly and shrunk back.

"Ah, Matthew," Arthur called, sounding relieved. "Please show our guests to my study. I'm assuming whatever it was that brought them here at such a late hour must be ever so important," he intoned tartly.

"Yes, Master Arthur," the man responded quietly, his voice like a sigh. He turned and walked widely around the group, turning to face them once he stood before a winding staircase. "If you please," Matthew directed, signaling for the other to follow him upstairs. Francis immediately pushed to the front of the group, moving to introduce himself to the unfamiliar face.

As the quiet blonde flushed and politely deflected the vampire's inquires, Lovino wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Ugh, is he going to try and suck his blood, too?"

"He most certainly will not!" Arthur called pointedly, watching from the back of the group.

The study turned out to be more of a sprawling library. Each wall was lined to the ceiling with towering bookcases, and the air around them was musty with the smell of old tomes. Arthur entered last, and Matthew closed the door behind him. The attendant moved to stand in front of the door as the assembled group found their seats.

Alfred blinked through existence before their very eyes, reappearing perched on the desk that Arthur sat down behind. He grinned mischievously at the shocked reactions he produced from Lovino, Ludwig, and Feliciano. Ludwig was standing next to Feliciano's chair, and he gripped the back of the plush seat protectively. For his part, Lovino registered the strangeness with apprehension. The continued onslaught of strangeness was becoming exhausting.

"What seems to be the problem?" Arthur asked flatly, surveying the group. "It seems to me that you've accumulated quite the diverse group here, Francis."

The vampire regarded the disgruntled magic-wielder from under his eyelids with amusement, though his relaxed posture in the velvet chair didn't change. "I haven't accumulated anything," he hummed. "These are friends of Antonio's. I am only an acquaintance, I'm afraid."

Arthur looked at the dark haired Spaniard strangely, as if taking note of his presence for the first time. He frowned. "I don't believe we've met," he said, sounding unsure.

To the general surprise of the room, Antonio seemed strangely serious, and he tilted his head curiously as he squinted at the blonde. After a moment, he seemed to shake off his tentativeness. "I'm Antonio," he confirmed simply, shrugging and smiling with a forced casualty.

"Really," the Englishman responded flatly, narrowing his eyes. "And what, exactly, are you? There's a powerful signature on you. Perhaps I knew it once, but if I did I can't remember."

" _Señor_ ," he began, visibly relaxing, "it may be better if you don't know."

A tense moment passed where Arthur looked very much annoyed. "Fine," he decided, a response that made Alfred look back at him in surprise. "What do you want, then?"

"My friends here were attacked by a werewolf yesterday," Antonio explained, nodding towards Feliciano and Ludwig. "The attack turned them both."

Arthur's bushy eyebrows raised in surprise as he turned to look at the new werewolves. "Both of you are werewolves as of only last night?" he asked, baffled.

"We were attacked last night," Ludwig clarified. "We woke up this morning this way."

"That's impossible," the blonde said disbelievingly. "Most victims of werewolf attacks will not turn into the beasts themselves...but on the other hand, it's rare to see two human survivors at all."

"It's true!" Feliciano piped up. " _Fratello_ and Antonio came and saved us."

Arthur glanced at Antonio again with some suspicion, but the other man only smiled brightly.

"Right." The blonde concluded reluctantly, returning his attention to the two werewolves. "In any case, it doesn't do the world any good to have three renegade werewolves roaming around."

"Three?" Ludwig echoed, looking confused.

Arthur raised his eyebrows again. "Yes, three. The werewolf that attacked you is just as dangerous as you are. Werewolves live deep within the forest, and they always live in packs. Any renegade werewolf is dangerous, because that means it was rejected from the community."

"Well," Antonio cut in cheerfully, "I don't think Ludwig or Feliciano would hurt anyone. And don't worry about the werewolf that attacked them. He won't be hurting anyone ever again."

Feliciano and Ludwig looked at Antonio in surprise at that, but Lovino just looked annoyed. He had seen firsthand what Antonio did to the werewolf. If there was anyone who was dangerous, the sullen Italian thought bitterly, it was him.

"Okay, cool," Alfred piped up, looking impressed. He looked back at the surprised wizard behind him. "So you have a cure or something for them, right Arthur?"

The other blonde looked pensive for a moment. "I might have an idea," he admitted, sounding unsure, "but I would have to look through my books first. In the meantime, you may reside here for the night." Arthur stood and gestured towards Matthew, who had been waiting in front of the door. "I am afraid we don't have very many guest rooms, but Matthew will arrange your lodgings. We will reconvene here in the morning."

Arthur turned away, walking to the bookcase at the far end of the room and beginning to search, dismissing the assembled group. Alfred disappeared from the desk and reappeared next to Matthew. "C'mon guys, hurry up!" he urged, "I'm sure at least some of you need sleep. So does Arthur, but I'll deal with him later."

The wizard bristled, but otherwise did not acknowledge his unwanted houseguest's words. As Alfred helped Matthew herd everyone out of the room, he took the opportunity to survey his guests while their attention was drawn away.

He had known Francis for a long time. The vampire was a threat, but a manageable one. Both of the new werewolves seemed pleasant enough, so he wasn't to terribly worried about them rampaging out of control. As for Antonio, he wasn't nearly so comfortable. Something about the Spaniard set him on edge. His ability to read the signatures that all magical beings radiated had never failed him before, and he was surprised that he was unable to identify one as strong as Antonio's.

As the room cleared of the strong aura, Arthur expected to relax. Yet after he felt the last powerful tendrils leave the room, there was still a heavy sense of dread surrounding him. He looked up, and found that the other brunette, the one who was not a werewolf, was staring at him.

"Can I help you?" Arthur asked, a combination of annoyance and confusion lacing his voice.

Lovino advanced on him. Now that he was paying attention to the human, Arthur could see the traces of exhaustion in his face.

"Do you know what Antonio is?" the brunette asked suspiciously, almost bitterly, with narrowed eyes.

The Englishman raised both of his bushy eyebrows in surprise. "I'm sorry?"

"Don't be stupid," Lovino snapped, venom in his voice. "I saw what he did to that wolf. He's hiding something from me, and I've been through enough shit today. I deserve to know."

Understanding dawned on Arthur's face. "You're Feliciano's brother, Lovino? You saw the werewolf attack?"

"I did," the brunette confirmed. "I knew something was wrong, but I had no idea…" The Italian faltered, looking overwhelmed.

An intrigued look appeared on Arthur's face. "Please," he suggested, gesturing towards the chair. "Sit down."

Exhausted, Lovino allowed himself to flop down into the seat. His face had turned bright red. Against his will, overwhelmed tears began to fall from his eyes.

Arthur took his seat behind his desk. "Now please," he began, leaning forward, "start from the beginning."

In the hall, Matthew and Alfred led Francis, Antonio, Ludwig, and Feliciano to the guest rooms. "I'm afraid that we only have two rooms available," Matthew apologized softly.

"That's okay!" Feliciano cheered, the contrast in his loud voice enough to make the wispy blonde jump. "I'll just share a room with Lovino!"

Antonio paused in his conversation with Francis. "I don't care where I sleep," he added good-naturedly.

Ludwig looked at the vampire with obvious reluctance. He didn't want to share a room with Francis.

To his surprise, the troublesome blonde only smiled at him knowingly, showing his fangs. With a conspiratorial wink, Francis turned to Matthew. "I would actually prefer to sleep in the basement. Now, I've been here before, but I'm not sure that I remember where the entrance is. _Matthieu_ , would you mind showing me the way?"

The blue-eyed attendant's skin flushed. "Oh, well, of course I can," he agreed quietly. He looked around the rest of the assembled group. "Will you all be able to settle in okay? There are extra nightclothes in the dresser drawers if you need them, and if you would like me to do your laundry please feel free to set your clothes outside the door."

"I'm sorry," Antonio cut in apologetically, "but where's Lovino? Didn't he leave with us?"

Alfred scratched the back of his head. "Y'know, I don't know. Mattie?"

The other blonde's eyebrows furrowed together. "I don't remember," he admitted, looking concerned.

"Well hey," the American offered cheerfully, "I was gonna go back and try to get Arthur to go to bed anyway. We'll go back and check."

Arthur waited patiently for Lovino to finish talking, listening attentively as the Italian vented about the day's events. His eyebrows knitted together in concern as the brunette went on. When Lovino finished, the Englishman was silent for a minute, thinking.

"I think I have an idea about Antonio, but there's a more pressing issue at hand," he began, his tone serious as he stared at the other man.

Lovino glared at the blonde, frustrated and impatient.

"Tell me," Arthur prompted, tapping his fingers on his desk, "are either of your parents magic wielders?"

The brunette collected himself, staring suspiciously at the man sitting before him. "I wouldn't know," he bit out, his voice curious, "Feliciano and I grew up in an orphanage."

"Oh," the Englishman responded, looking perturbed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't waste your time," Lovino snapped. "What are you getting at?"

"Well, I…" Arthur began reluctantly, stepping around his desk and moving carefully towards Lovino. "Do you mind if I try something?"

Alfred moved away from the door to the study. It was cracked open just enough that he could look through, but after snooping for a minute he pulled away with a frown. "I have no idea what they're doing," he admitted.

"What do you mean?" Antonio asked worriedly, squeezing past the blonde so he could get a better look.

The demon looked uncomfortable when the good natured brunette began to growl, the low noise making his entire body rumble. "Whoa man, are you okay?"

Arthur was crouched in front of Lovino, looking him directly in his eyes with his hands on either side of his head. The Italian flinched, the pressure invading his head causing him some discomfort. When it started to become painful, he pushed the other man away.

" _Che cazzo_ ," he cursed, holding his head, "what the fuck was that?"

The blonde, however, was looking past him. When he saw that the door was closed, he shook his head and returned his attention to Lovino. "I apologize," he said quickly upon seeing the Italian's furious expression. "I was just testing you for magic resonance. I couldn't detect it earlier because of the stronger signatures in the room, but I thought I detected a faint aura once we were the only ones here. After hearing your story, I wanted to make sure."

"Magic resonance?" Lovino echoed, looking baffled.

Arthur leaned back against his desk, massaging his temples. "It's very faint, but it seems that you have some sort of magical ability born into you."

The brunette sputtered. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked, anger evident in his voice. "I don't…" his spark of fury quickly dissolved, and the Italian groaned. "I don't want anything to do with this. I want Feliciano to get back to normal, and I want to go home."

His response shocked the other man, but he tried not to show it. "This inherent magical ability doesn't have to mean anything if you don't want it to," Arthur admitted reluctantly. "You may have exhibited a low level capability with scrying when you were searching for your brother, but if you don't develop your abilities, it may never be anything more than that."

"Fine," Lovino choked out, looking determinedly at the magic user across from him. "I don't want it to." He suddenly stood, wiping his hand across his face.

As he turned to go, Arthur jerked out of his seat suddenly. "If you change your mind," he offered, ignoring the scathing glare that the Italian tossed at him, "I would be willing to teach you."

Lovino didn't respond. Instead he turned to leave and walked out, slamming the heavy door behind him.

Frowning, the Englishman returned to his seat. He sighed heavily, placing his elbows on the desktop and his head in his hands. As a wizard, he placed responsibility upon himself to remain aware of magical threats to the human world, but such a large group of renegade, untrained creatures was the biggest threat of all.

He was going to have to do more reading.

Arthur stood and returned to his bookcase, looking through his tomes on magical identification. He was going to have to put Lovino's potential abilities to the side for now. After talking to the Italian, he had an inkling on what Antonio might be.

Once he had collected a few books, he turned back to his desk.

"Hey Arthur!" Alfred greeted loudly, spinning around in the wizard's chair.

The standing blonde nearly dropped his books, and the demon teleported to him and caught the slipping pile. "Geez, calm down," he teased, placing a hand on Arthur's back to stabilize him. "You're super tense."

"You would be too, if you had any responsibilities," the older man snapped, embarrassed.

Alfred seemed to consider the idea. "Nah," he decided with a shrug, following Arthur to his desk. When the wizard sat down, he retook his place and perched on the wooden surface. "So what was up with," the demon waved his hand vaguely, "all of that?"

"That's a vague question," the Englishman responded flatly, opening one of his books and beginning to read.

"Well for one," Alfred began, removing his glasses and cleaning them on his shirt, "you let Antonio go when he didn't want to tell you what kind of creature he was. You don't just let things go."

"He had an extremely powerful signature," the other man responded tartly, struggling to retain his deadpan expression. His eyes flickered over the demon for a moment before returning to his reading.

The American frowned. "Like, magic?"

"Not necessarily," Arthur corrected, giving Alfred his attention again. "All magical creature have tags on them, like auras. I call them signatures, because once I identify a creature for the first time, it's easy to identify the entire species, even if they've transformed into something other than their natural form. It's rare that I meet a creature that I can't identify. It's even worse when it's a creature that seems so powerful."

"But he seems pretty cool," Alfred pouted. "Even though when we were spying on you and Lovino earlier, I think he was kinda pissed." His eyed slid to Arthur's questioningly.

The blonde frowned disappointedly at his companion. "That could have been dangerous," he commented, pointedly refusing to explain what he had been doing.

Alfred snorted. "C'mon, I don't think that you would hurt anyone."

"That is not what I mean," Arthur said, frowning deeper and closing his book. He fixed the demon on his desk with a stare. "Some creatures are territorial."

* * *

 **A/** **N: After this chapter, things are going to pick up a little, but I hop** **e you all enjoyed this chapter. Please review if you did, your feedback means a lot to me! I might not get an update out in this coming week, but remember...any response at all is great motivation!**


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